Dnepr

Dnepr-1 RS-20 SS-18 Satan (NATO) R-36M

Mission Profile

Dnepr was a Ukrainian-Russian commercial launch vehicle derived from the devastating R-36M (NATO SS-18 Satan) ICBM — the most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile ever deployed — repurposed for orbital access under the START arms reduction treaties. Standing 34.3 meters tall and weighing 211,000 kg at liftoff, it generated 4,520 kN of thrust and could deliver 3,700 kg to low Earth orbit via silo-based launch from Dombarovsky, Russia. First flying commercially in April 1999, Dnepr was particularly valued for its large payload fairing capable of deploying dozens of small satellites on a single rideshare mission, flying until 2015 when Russia-Ukraine geopolitical tensions permanently suspended the program.